CONSTRUCTIVISM IN

SCIENCE EDUCATION

Prof. G. Bhuvaneswara Lakshmi

DoEET, UoH
 Constructivism

 A theory which says that people construct their own

understanding and knowledge through experiences of the
physical, biological and social world, and through reflection
on those experiences.

 Learning is determined by the interplay among learners’

existing knowledge, the social context and the problem that
is to be solved.
 Principles of Constructivism

 Knowledge must be built. This principle states that it is not enough for a
student to simply absorb knowledge, they must participate in constructing it.
Students take what they already know and form a foundation in which to
build from.
 Knowledge requires action. Students learn by participating in the learning
process, which requires learners to gather information, sort it, discuss it, and
do something with it in order to understand. Examples of active learning
include project-based learning or conducting experiments.
 Continued….
 Learning requires interaction with others. Through social experiences in the
form of discussions, sharing of ideas, reflection and other collaboration
strategies, learners derive understanding through others' points of view.

 Learning must be personalized. Because every student comes with a personal

perspective that is influenced by distinct experiences and knowledge, learning
is an individual process.

 Learning transpires in the mind. Ultimately, the leaner is in control of his or

her own learning, which may or may not reflect reality.

 Curriculum is centred on big-picture concepts. Learning takes place with a

whole to part approach.
 TYPES OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM : The theory of social constructivism was developed by Soviet
psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934). At the foundation of this theory is the belief that
knowledge is not a copy of an objective reality but is rather the result the mind selecting and
making sense of and recreating experiences. This means that knowledge is the result of
interactions between both subjective and environmental factors.

 COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM: Cognitive constructivism finds its origin in the work of Swiss
psychologist Jean Piaget, who focused on child development. The fundamental premise of
cognitive constructivism is to design learning with the child's cognitive development, or ability,
in mind.
Educational Implications of Constructivism
 Constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is
helping them gain understanding.

 By questioning themselves and their strategies, students in the constructivist

classroom ideally become "expert learners." 

 Provide experience with the knowledge construction process

 Experience in and appreciation for multiple perspectives

 Provide social and emotional learning

 Use multiple modes of representation

A combination of the following learning strategies can be used by the
teachers to create constructivist learning environment (Dagar & Yadav,2016):

Use of multimedia/teaching aids

Scaffolding
Case studies
Role playing
Story telling
Group discussions/Group activities (reciprocal Learning).
Probing questions
Project based learning
Use of learning strategies for social and emotional learning of students.
 Constructivist teaching practices

 Students use active techniques – like experiments, real-world

problem solving and reasoning – to construct understanding. They
reflect on observations, raise questions and talk about what they
are doing and how their understanding
is changing. The teacher tries to ascertain the students’
preconceptions and ways of thinking, then guides the activities to
address and build on these, towards a robust understanding of
science.
 Teachers’ Role In Constructivism

 Become one of the many resources that the student may learn from, not the
primary source of information.
 Engage students in experiences that challenge previous conceptions of their
existing knowledge.
 Seek students' ideas before presenting teacher ideas or before studying ideas
from textbooks or other sources.
 Encourage the spirit of questioning by asking thoughtful, open-ended
questions.
 Provide learning experience with the knowledge construction
process.